In this report, we will look at the news and notes from Lions training camp, plus we will review the first two preseason games, a 34-7 loss to the Chargers and a 17-10 win over the Falcons. The starters aren’t playing, and the roles are pretty much defined for fantasy purposes. So we’ll focus on the depth players because if injuries hit you will want to know about who could be next man up.

QB: Not much to report on QB Jared Goff as he isn’t playing in the preseason. As much as he wants to bounce back from his poor game in the playoff loss to the Commanders, it will be Sept. 7 in Green Bay when we see him on the field.The focus has been on the battle for the backup job. QB Kyle Allen started in the first game while QB Hendon Hooker started game 2. So far it looks like Allen has the clear advantage despite throwing two picks against the Chargers. In fact, Hooker seemed to get benched in the 2nd quarter of game 2 after losing his 2nd fumble of the game. I would have thought it was almost impossible for a guy who really needs the reps to get benched in a preseason game but here we are. Allen came in and quickly led a TD drive. He ended up going 7 of 8 for 120 yards with 2 TDs. The game essentially ended after the 3rd quarter so the snap counts were low but Allen looks like the guy winning the job while Hooker doesn’t seem to have many positive vibes around him. To add another interesting nugget, former Lions QB Teddy Bridgewater signed with Tampa Bay last week. I wonder if the Lions showed any interest in bringing him back. Things seemed to develop quickly with him and Tampa when word got out that he was interested in signing with a team for 2025. Would the Lions consider cutting Hooker? Maybe. As always it will be a numbers game with other positions on the roster. Hooker turns 28 in January so while you wouldn’t think a team would completely bail on a 3rd round quarterback heading into year three, it can’t be ruled out and his age is part of that because it seems like he has a long way to go. Perhaps the Lions will be browsing other rosters as well for a potential upgrade over Allen and Hooker. The next two games will tell the story.

RB: We’ll focus on the depth here because we know where things stand with RB Jahmyr Gibbs and RB David Montgomery. Although I will point out that it will be interesting to see how often the Lions use both on the field at the same time, which is something they have not done in the past. Maybe it’s a wrinkle that could get Gibbs more mismatches against linebackers in the pass game. And one other random thought I had that sort of ties into the backup quarterback completion – if something happened to Goff, what would happen to the offense? I actually think they would still be able to have a productive ground game. The backs would still produce but the receivers would take the bigger hit in my opinion. RB Craig Reynolds has been getting carries in these preseason games, but RB Sione Vaki has been out with some sort of leg injury. I don’t think it’s serious but I was hoping to see him get some reps after he showed potential in last year’s preseason. All indications are that they will keep four backs and those are the four. Behind them it’s been a bit of a mess. Both UDFA guys are already gone, so they’ve been bringing in some UFL guys for depth. RB Deon Jackson just signed and he has a bit of NFL experience.

WR/TE: After seeing him play, rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa passes the eyeball test with his physical traits. He has been productive in the first 2 games with a total of 4 catches for 64 yards and a TD. When you combine that with the story that came out about WR Tim Patrick getting off to a slow start in camp, it makes you wonder if TeSlaa could pass Patrick on the depth chart sooner than expected. I even heard some speculation that Patrick could be a surprise cut. Again, injuries and needs at other positions will factor in, but it’s something to think about. You also have 7th round rookie WR Dominic Lovett trying to make the team, and he had 5 grabs in the 1st game. If you have TeSlaa in a dynasty league you should feel good. For redraft, this season is still all about WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and WR Jameson Williams. At tight end I still like TE Sam Laporta. With TE Kenny Yeboah going on IR it would seem that TE Shane Zylstra has won the 3rd spot behind Laporta and TE Brock Wright.

K/DST: It seems PK Jake Bates is ready to pick up where he left off last year. He drilled a 57 yard field goal against Atlanta. One quirk that you might want to keep an eye on in IDP leagues depending on your settings is that the Lions are trying backup LB Grant Stuard as a kick returner. He fumbled in week 1 on his first try, and I don’t think he will be returning kicks in the regular season. But if he does, and with the league putting an emphasis on kicks being returned, maybe he could get you some nice IDP points with some returns plus some tackles on defense and special teams. The Lions defense will get a huge boost this year with DE Aidan Hutchinson returning. All reports indicate he looks great in camp, so that is outstanding news. However, the depth is already being thinned out by injuries to the defensive line ad secondary. By my count there are as many as 8 defensive players that would have been projected as contributors that will be opening the season on one of the various injured lists, either due to still recovering from last season’s injuries or camp injuries. The starting defense looks good on paper, don’t get me wrong. But this is a weird feeling after the big storyline of 2024 was how the defensive injuries just kept mounting.

Up next is preseason game 2 on Saturday 8/16 vs. Miami, then game 3 on Saturday 8/23 vs Houston.

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